04.05.2024
There are over 13,000 accidents that occur every year on the roads of the capital, with more than 16,000 injuries and around 150 deaths, of which just under a third are pedestrians. Among the causes, distracted driving and failure to respect signs account for more than half of the cases, with speeding taking first place.
This dramatic toll, which dates back to 2022 and which unfortunately sees figures on the increase, especially with regards to pedestrians and young drivers, has pushed the Club to bring together some stakeholders to try to intervene concretely on this issue of great social importance through the “Keep life is at stake”, aimed at promoting a safe and responsible driving style through training campaigns aimed at young people.
The project, which involves AS Roma, Automobile Club Roma and Toyota, makes use of the precious testimony of the journalist Luca Valdiserri, father of the young eighteen-year-old Francesco, hit and killed by an out-of-control car in an accident that occurred in October 2022 while he was walking with his friends on the sidewalk of Via Cristoforo Colombo.
On 4 April, the memorandum of understanding between the CEO of AS Roma Lina Souloukou and the President of the Automobile Club Roma Giuseppina Fusco was signed at the Fulvio Bernardini Sports Center in the presence of Luca Valdiserri and the footballer Sardar Azmoun, representing of the First Team.
The training activities are carried out by the Automobile Club Roma, an institution committed to promoting road safety, through a method that includes interactive theoretical lessons and safe driving tests in specially set up areas, under the coordination of ACI Ready2Go trainers, putting into practice a engaging, tested and particularly effective methodology for learning correct driving rules.
In recent days, the campaign has seen the creation of two sessions of the theoretical and practical course, which involved over one hundred final year students from three Roman schools (“Giorgio Ambrosoli”, “Ferrari-Hertz” and “Giovanni XXIII”). and the entire Roma Primavera team, who are testimonials of the project.
The tests took place in the classrooms and areas made available by the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, with which the Automobile Club Roma has had a fruitful collaboration for some time. After the theoretical part, the practical test on the track was held. Toyota and Kinto – as Mobility Service Provider of AS Roma – have made 4 iconic cars from the Toyota range available to the project, suitable for driving by young novice drivers. Participants in possession of a driving license or pink slip were able to face a series of simulated dangerous situations in which they had to apply the lessons learned in the classroom. The scheme of this course will therefore be replicated in the coming months with students from other schools in the capital.
AS Roma has also dedicated a fund – in memory of Francesco Valdiserri – which will allow the three institutes involved to continue all the training and awareness activities that characterize the project with future high school graduates, also in the next school year.
“As you know, the automotive sector is of fundamental importance for AS Roma and our ownership,” declared AS Roma CEO Lina Souloukou. “We had therefore been thinking for some time about how to involve our community in a socially useful project. The dramatic statistics on road accidents that occur in our city have pushed us to become an active part in promoting a campaign that brings a tangible benefit to the young people of our community. We thought it was important to involve newly licensed kids – therefore also our Youth Sector footballers – so that they immediately learn the essential rules for safe and responsible driving. We want to use the media and persuasion power that Roma has to spread this positive message as much as possible and start a virtuous process whereby those who drive with prudence are the true champions and not losers. We sincerely thank the Automobile Club Roma and Toyota for having accepted our invitation and for making all their experience and authority on the subject available to this project. But a special thought goes to Luca Valdiserri for having guided and inspired us, in the memory of his son Francesco”.
“The Automobile Club Roma, which has always been involved in road safety education, especially for young people of driving license age, welcomed the opportunity of collaborating with the Roma Sports Association for the implementation of the “Drive safely” project. which allows us to broaden the audience of young people reached by the training initiatives and to disseminate the topic of road safety more effectively”, are the words of the President of the Automobile Club Roma, Giuseppina Fusco. “The participation in training courses of the Primavera team players themselves, ‘credible ambassadors’ and attracting attention for young people, creates a multiplier effect on the diffusion of the safety message. With the signing of this memorandum of understanding, and also thanks to the precious collaboration of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, which has made classrooms and spaces available for setting up the test drives, the way is therefore opened to a public-private collaboration, which we hope will contribute to stimulating a conscious and life-respectful driving style among young people, and to taking decisive steps forward towards the goal of ‘zero victims’ on our roads”.
“We are proud to participate in a project that shares our vision for the future, renewing our commitment to road safety and sustainable mobility,” commented Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia. “With our vision ‘Let’s Go Beyond’, we aspire to raise safety standards and surpass the goal of zero emissions. Through the development of an advanced mobility ecosystem, which integrates electrified and connected vehicles with cutting-edge safety technologies, we are committed to meeting the needs of a society that evolves, guaranteeing everyone the freedom to move safely and in harmony with the surrounding environment. This vision, which has become reality in Italy since 2018 with the introduction of Toyota Safety Sense as standard on our entire range , includes a complete package of safety systems for the protection of occupants and road users in different scenarios. Since 2020, Toyota commercial vehicles have also stood out for having progressively adopted the most innovative safety systems, confirming our commitment to the diffusion of a culture of road safety and the reduction of accidents”.